Home is Where the Heart Is
by Snoring Tiger
Summary: Lovino and Antonio have been homeless for years now; this follows how they live and why they are still so happy. Spamano, Gakuen AU.


_**This was written from one of the best prompts I have ever got in a long time; I think I had too much fun writing this! Vargass on tumblr was the source of inspiration, so go check her out~ I hope you enjoy this and that this follows what you wanted!**_

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_Antonio lights the bonfire made form gathered twigs, dried leaves gathered from around the park and old newspapers Lovino found whilst going through the large skips. Both of them are grateful to see the hot red flames slowly grow bigger and both of them appreciatively rub their hands in front of the fire. Lovino is beginning to feel slightly sleepy so he leans into the left side of Antonio._

_"At least it's not colder than last winter," Lovino mumbles, his eyes on the dancing flames. Antonio chuckles._

_"Don't place a curse on the weather now," He replies. Lovino lightly punches Antonio on the arm._

_"Idiot. You don't really believe in that crap, do you?"_

The day was Valentine's Day, and all of the children were giggling as they happily played and shouted on the elementary school's playground. Lovino, sitting from his place in the top of the high tree towering over the rest of the school and the other smaller trees, observed a small, timid boy hesitantly giving a girl with pigtails a pink piece of card. He saw the girl's facial expression light up and how she clinged to the boy in a tight embrace. Lovino's eyes began to sting so he turned away from the sight. He wished he could have given Antonio something, even a small chocolate. When he told his parents though, they weren't as keen as he had anticipated.

_**"Mama, can I ask you for help please?" Lovino had hesitantly asked his mother, tugging on the hem of her work skirt. She smiled cheerily down at the boy and winked at him as she bent down to his level.**_

_**"What can I do for my precious little man?" Lovino blushed and he looked away.**_

_**"I'm not precious!" Lovino protested before turning back to face his mother, "I...I was wondering if you can buy me a flower from a shop?" His mother beamed down at her son and ruffled his hair.**_

_**"I've been waiting so long for this day! I didn't think you'd get a crush at the age of eight, but you have to start somewhere, right? I'm so proud of my baby boy!"**_

_**"Mama! I'm not a boy, I'm a man!" Lovino indignantly corrected. She laughed and smiled, looking fondly at her son with hazel eyes.**_

_**"So? Are you going to tell me who the lucky girl is?" She lightheartedly teased. Lovino's shoulders tensed and he turned away from his mother and looked down at the floor.**_

_**"For Antonio," Lovino mumbled. His mother frowned a second before nervously laughing.**_

_**"Sweetie, you do realise that you get a flower for somebody that you like, don't you?"**_

_**"I like Antonio!"**_

_**"Not as a friend though...like the love that your father and I have!" Lovino looked up at his mother with watery eyes.**_

_**"But that is how I like him! Why can't you see that?" Instantly she stopped smiling and frowned at Lovino.**_

_**"Lovino Vargas, loving another man is wrong. It's a sin."**_

_**"Why?"**_

_**"Don't question it!" She snapped back, all her cheerfulness gone. Lovino looked startled at his mother's response, tears falling down his cheeks at a rapid rate. He sniffed his nose.**_

_**"But-"**_

_**"But nothing. Go to your room Lovino and don't come out. I need to have a talk with your father about this." She stood back up and turned away from her crying son and turned her attention back to the undone dishes. Lovino rubbed his eyes and reached out a shaking left hand to the hem of his mother's skirt and tugged slightly on it again. He got no response from her.**_

_**"Mama."**_

_**Nothing.**_

_**"Mama!"**_

_**Silence.**_

_**"MAMA!"**_

"I said go to your room!" She shouted in his face. He had ran off to his room after that, slamming the door behind them and burying his face into his pillow, sobbing to his heart's content.

Lovino realised that he was crying now and fiercely rubbed his face.

"Lovi? Why are you crying?" Lovino flinched. He did not realise that he had company. He glared at the source of all of his problems.

"What do you want?" Lovino vehemently asked. Antonio looked slightly taken aback but nevertheless took a seat next to the emotional Italian. He was used to the outbursts after all, you'd have to be if you were friends with Lovino.

"I wanted to find out why my friend was crying," Antonio explained, taking Lovino's left hand and squeezed it tightly. Lovino's face flushed at the sudden contact.

"None of your business!"

"If someone hurts you it's my business," Antonio solemnly replied. Lovino sniffed and looked at their entwined hands.

"My mama yelled at me yesterday," Lovino explained. Antonio blinked in surprise.

"I thought she was really sweet!" Lovino shook his head.

"She yelled at me, and told me to go to my room, and I over heard her say about sending me to my uncle who's a priest to beat sense into me and I don't get it!" Antonio listened to the ranting Italian. He was slightly confused.

"What did you do, Lovino?" Lovino faltered. He really did not want to admit why the incident happened.

"Becau...Becau...Because I wanted to get you something for today," Lovino muttered, staring at the ground below them with a great interest. Antonio laughed.

"Why did you want to get me something?" Lovino scowled. Curse the Spaniard and his obliviousness!

"It's Valentine's Day, moron!" He smacked Antonio on the head. Antonio rubbed his head and slightly whimpered. Once he stopped rubbing his head, Antonio had a bright, albeit small, smile on his face.

"I wanted to get something for my Lovi too," Antonio explained, squeezing Lovino's hand, "My parents also didn't let me. They didn't yell at me though, so I'm sorry my Lovi suffered because of me." Antonio apologised, moving close to Lovino and placing a gentle kiss on his temple. Lovino smiled but his face was crimson.

As Lovino was about to reply, the bell signalling the first class rang out. Antonio swung his legs and jumped off the tree, running into the building. "I'll see you later, Lovi!"

"Idiot!"

_Antonio laughs._

_"You've known me for a long while, haven't you Lovi? You should be able to answer that."_

_"Fair enough, I just never know how stupid the things you say will be." _

_"That's mean!"_

_"That's life," Lovino curtly replies. When he sees Antonio's smile fade, he elbows him in the ribs and sticks his tongue out. "Nothing to get upset about, bastard."_

_"Aww, were you concerned that I was upset?"_

_"Of course not, I don't want your tears to dampen the fire, that's all!" At the mention of the fire, both of them shuffle closer to the fire, Lovino snuggling into Antonio's side once again when they are settled._

"Military school?" Lovino wrinkles his nose and frowns. Antonio nods.

"Your parents think that I've been a bad influence on you or something, and they told my parents about you wanting to get me something, and my parents told yours about me wanting to get you something, and the grown-ups started using big words after that; I couldn't understand them from my place behind the door. This morning though they told me I'm going to military school out in the north for a while," Antonio explained the best he could, rubbing his arm awkwardly and looking down at the ground. Lovino frowned once again, mostly because he hated seeing the person he cared about most this upset.

"Don't look that sad," Lovino mumbled. Antonio looked up, an actual tear rolling down his face.

"How can I not be sad when I have to move? I won't see my parents, I won't see my friends...I won't be able to see you. That sucks, that sucks so much." Lovino was left speechless. Antonio looked guilty for making Lovino so upset so he pecked a kiss on his lips. Lovino liked it whenever Antonio did that, it felt so nice to feel warm lips on his own. Their parents didn't find out as Antonio was always careful to do so when no adults were around.

"Can't you not go?" Lovino asked, not too sure how to comfort his...what would he call Antonio? He was not a friend, he was more important than that. Not like a brother either, if they kissed. Boyfriend sounded too official and sounded sour. Until he could think of something, he would just refer to him as Antonio. Antonio was Antonio, simple as that.

"I wish," Antonio sighed, "My parents would never let me do that though." As Antonio quickly rubbed his eyes, Lovino thought for a few seconds before smirking.

"Why don't you try something that your parents would never do?" Antonio looked at Lovino and saw he was smirking.

"Lovi...? What are you thinking?"

_"Amore, don't go to sleep yet. Look at the stars," Antonio sits Lovino upright. Groggily Lovino follows Antonio's lead and looks up at the starry sky. It was a nice change for once. Usually there were lots of clouds from all of the pollution of the city, but on this night there was not a single cloud. _

_"Pretty," Lovino comments. Antonio pokes Lovino on the cheek._

_"Lovi! You're passionate about art, right? Doesn't the sky look like a canvas?" Lovino dwells on this for a second._

_"Only you would make a comparison like that."_

_"That's why you love me~" Antonio teasingly sings. Lovino's lips quirk upwards._

_"Oh of course, you've got me all figured out now," Lovino teases, making Antonio chuckle and wrap an arm around Lovino._

Both of the boys run down the street, laughing all the way. They don't stop until they pass the traffic lights, dash into the park and halt by the large turquoise lake. Both of them bend over and pant, still grinning like idiots to each other.

"That...was...the...most...stupid...thing...I've...done," Antonio gasped between pants and outbreaks of laughter.

"Worth...it...though?" Lovino replied. They stopped talking and laughing for a few seconds to regain their breath. Both of their cheeks are rosy from the laughter and the cold wind nipping at their faces.

"Of course! I'm so glad they were driving in the truck so I could sit outside on the back!"

"If they didn't, would you have been able to jump off at the traffic lights?" Lovino curiously asks. Antonio shook his head.

"No way. Let's be thankful for the traffic jam and all the good luck we've had today." Lovino nods for a second before realising something.

"What do we do now?" Antonio cocks his head to the side at the question.

"What do you mean, Lovi?"

"I mean, I'm meant to be going to live my uncle in a few days and you've got nowhere to go. What do we do? I'm scared," Lovino was shaking by the time he finished speaking, his hands curled into fists. Antonio instantly walked towards Lovino and enveloped him in a tight hug.

"We'll be okay. We'll just have to live on our own."

"Alone? An eight year old and a ten year old, living...living somewhere, on our own? How will we manage?" Lovino exclaimed. Antonio just squeezed Lovino a bit tighter.

"We'll be okay. We'll be okay, Lovi. We'll be okay," Antonio continued to say this chant until Lovino had worn himself out from crying and was asleep, curled next to the trunk of a large tree. Now that his companion was asleep, Antonio was able to sit down on the floor, pull his knees close to his chest and hid his face in his knees, letting out gasping noises every few seconds. It wasn't going to be okay, not at all. How could it be?

_The two embrace the quietness within the park. Little to no cars are driving around this late at night, the people driving the cars have families to return to, and homes to sleep in. All that can be heard is the occasional buzzing of some insect and the steady heart beat of the other._

_"Hey, Antonio?" Lovino asks. Antonio turns his head and nuzzles Lovino's hair._

_"Yes, Lovinito?"_

_"Do you remember what it was like to have a home? A guaranteed shower? New clothes?" Antonio stops nuzzling Lovino and looks up at the picturesque sky once again._

_"I remember my bed, my bedroom. I remember my parents. It's such a distant memory. Honestly," Antonio stops speaking to plant a kiss over Lovino's eye, Lovino shutting his eye quickly, "It's such a distant memory I don't miss it anymore. You're all I need, Lovino. I wouldn't have it any other way."_

"Hey Antonio, I found some more blankets," An eleven year old Lovino declared, dragging two worn out blankets which were caked with dirt. Antonio smiled at Lovino's return.

"That's great! Dump them in the lake though, they look disgusting."

"I was planning on doing that!" Lovino retorted, unceremoniously chucking the cloth into the lake. By now, after living out in this park for the past three years, they had managed to work out a system of some sorts. Lovino would scour through any skips he could find to see if there was anything valuable. He would also peek in the Lost and Found box at school every now and then to see if there were any clothes that would fit them. Antonio meanwhile was friends with Gilbert and Francis, and every now and then they would sneak food from their houses to him, as well as let him and Lovino take showers at their place. Otherwise they used the showers at school at lunch time so nobody would find out.

At school, Lovino would take some extra food from the canteen or take some of Feliciano's lunch. Lovino swore Feliciano to secrecy, which he complied with as he didn't want to upset his brother. So far no-one had discovered Antonio and Lovino's secret-either that or no-one bothered to tell their parents. Every night they either made a small fire when it was cold and slept on the ground covered in blankets or up in the tree over-shadowing the lake. It was a system that both of them were happy with.

"Hey Lovi, I was thinking about getting a job," Antonio moved around and rolled up his jeans so he could wade into the water and now retrieve the soaked blankets. Lovino scoffed.

"You must be too young!"

"Nope, the man running the newsagent, I think his name is Hesse, I don't remember, anyway he said that he needs extra help so I can do that and get us some money!" Antonio hurriedly explained, clearly happy with this news. Lovino thought for a few seconds.

"That wouldn't be bad, it would be nice to be able to buy things. Like a house!"

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Lovi," Antonio burst out laughing. "At most, it would be about twenty dollars a week."

"If we saved up, you could buy a house dammit. It's your fault!" Lovino declared, picking up a tree branch and hitting Antonio on the head with it.

"Hey, that's not fair!" Antonio pouted before picking up a branch of his own and hitting Lovino on the head.

"Bastard!" Lovino cried, attempting to stab Antonio in the heart with his branch. Both of them were soon absorbed in their faux sword fight, real life forgotten.

_"Only you could say something embarrassing like that," Lovino grumbles, secretly (or not so secretly judging by his slight fidgeting and tinted cheeks) pleased with Antonio's answer._

_"What about you, Lovinito?" Antonio asks curiously. _

_"I guess...I guess I'm the same," Lovino barely whispers as a reply, feeling awkward if he would speak as honestly as Antonio just did. That answer was satisfactory enough though, and Antonio sloppily kisses Lovino, Lovino being all too happy to comply._

"Merry Christmas, idiot," Lovino handed Antonio a small chocolate bar. In all honesty, he wanted to get Antonio something better but there was only so much you could afford when you technically had no money; Antonio was in charge of money after all.

Antonio blinked out of surprise. "How did you buy this? You didn't steal it, did you?"

"Of course not!" Lovino shouted, outraged that Antonio would even consider that, "I used the money I collected when I find money on the floor. I'm not a criminal, dammit!" Lovino began to pound his fists- softly, but firm enough to get the point across- into Antonio's chest.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Antonio surrendered, putting his arms in the air as a sign of peace. Lovino backed off and looked to the side.

"I...I wanted to get you something better. You got me a jumper." Antonio couldn't help but smile radinatly at Lovino's childish logic.

"Oh Lovinito, all I want for Christmas is you," Antonio pulled his left hand from out of his pocket and produced a small cutting of mistletoe he took from Gilbert's house.

"Really." Lovino deadpanned. Antonio eagerly nodded and held the flower above their heads.

"Yup, this tradition is one I'd like to keep~"

"You can be such an idiot." Lovino still inched his face closer to Antonio's bit by bit until their lips were finally meeting and their tongues were entwined with each others.

_They sit in silence for a while until some harsh wind blows around them. Lovino sighs angrily and curses out the wind as he grabs a couple of blankets and wraps one around himself and hands the other one to Antonio. Antonio decides to pick up the smaller teen and hold him in his lap, his blanket covering both of them._

_"What are you doing?" Lovino asks, confusion and drowsiness evident in his voice. Antonio wraps his arms around Lovino's waist and slowly lies back, bringing both of them to the soft grass. It may have not been an ideal bed for most people, but the two teens were more than content with it._

_"Keeping you warm throughout the night," Antonio explains, tightening the blanket around Lovino's neck. Lovino snorts at the motherly action, though he lets some of his fatigue show as he nuzzles his face into Antonio's neck._

_"Thank you for everything," The Italian mumbles before dropping off into a deep and warm slumber. Antonio sighs happily and runs his fingers through Lovino's hair softly, muttering sweet words in Spanish._

_"Nothing to thank Lovinito, as long as you'll continue being mine," Antonio barely whispers as he too falls to the conforms of sleep._


End file.
